"’Tis the season again, RSV is here," Dr. Vaudry exclaims.
"Where? Where?" I jump up from my chair, but I don’t see anything.
"That’s because RSV, short for Respiratory Syncitial Virus, is a virus," she laughs, "and viruses are tiny infectious particles you cannot see with the naked eye. They crop up every winter all over the world, usually between November and April. Interestingly enough, RSV seems to appear later in colder climates like Edmonton, usually by Christmas, and it disappears later too. I have seen cases from the Yukon as late as June."
Dr. Wendy Vaudry is a specialist in infectious diseases. She knows a lot about illnesses caused by microscopic organisms like bacteria and viruses, little bugs I don’t like at all because they make us sick.
"Children are affected most," she continues, "and 80% of the people have gone through an RSV infection by 2 years of age. Adults can have repeated infections, but they barely have any symptoms, perhaps a bit of a cold or a sore throat. It is really the children under two who can become the sickest, mainly babies under 2 months of age, premature infants and those with underlying heart and lung problems."
"What kind of symptoms does RSV cause in young children?" I ask, while feeling a sneeze pushing its way up.
"Most children will just have symptoms of a cold, like a runny nose, a cough, and a mild fever, but sometimes the virus attacks the lungs and the smallest airways, resulting in the child breathing quickly, wheezing, and really working hard to get some breath."
"Sounds pretty serious to me," I mumble blowing my nose.
" Absolutely," she replies, "when a parent sees a child with fast, labored breathing and hears wheezing, high-pitched whistling respiration, or if an infant no longer wants to eat, a doctor should be consulted. And sometimes the child might need to stay in the hospital for a few days to receive oxygen, extra fluids and other help with breathing."
She talks so fast I wonder when she takes a breath herself.
"You don’t need to see a doctor for a stuffed or a runny nose." She continues. "However, if the child has a persistent cough, it is safer to have the child checked than to self-medicate with cough-suppressers, which can be dangerous in infants anyway. " And as RSV is a virus," she continues resolutely, "antibiotics don’t help. So there is no point prescribing any."
I’m starting to feel all sweaty. Is this because I can’t listen to stories about illnesses and blood without becoming all woozy, or am I coming down with something?
"How does one contract RSV?" I ask meekly.
"RSV is spread from person to person by direct contact. It is very contagious, but it does not fly through the air like the flu. Therefore hand washing and hygiene in general are the only way to try and prevent the infection from spreading. But of course, there is a limit to how practical this can be in a household setting."
"Is there anything to cure RSV?" The cold chills are running down my back.
"There is nothing we know that works. Just supportive treatment, extra fluids, and if needed, oxygen and help with breathing. Humidity does not really help either, it might just improve the symptoms of the upper airways somewhat. And of course, do not smoke around a child with wheezing and airway problems." The phone rings. While she holds her hand over the receiver, she whispers the call might take a while.
I wave her good bye while I sneeze myself out the door. I must be brewing something.